Vest Financial LLC Reduces Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Vest Financial LLC lowered its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 109,763 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 30,549 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for about 0.8% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $62,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $786.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Argus increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $825.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $767.77.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $829.84 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $302.17 and a 1-year high of $845.27. The company has a market capitalization of $386.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.09, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $742.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $649.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets report a string of small upward revisions to Caterpillar’s near‑term EPS (Q3/Q4 2026 and Q3/Q4 2027), which supports expectations for stronger quarterly results ahead of Q1 reporting. These marginal upgrades can lift sentiment by reducing downside earnings risk. MarketBeat CAT page
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $960 (from $870) and bumped 2026–2028 EPS forecasts, citing projects such as Solar Turbines that bolster longer‑term revenue and margin prospects — a prominent broker upgrade that can attract buyers and supports upside. Wells Fargo lifts PT on Caterpillar (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple media stories highlight growing power demand from data centers and inclusion in “quality dividend” lists; analysts and commentators (including Jim Cramer mentions) emphasize CAT’s exposure to data‑center power and rental/engine demand, which supports a growth narrative beyond construction/mining cycles. Caterpillar positioned for long-term growth (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street previews and Zacks pieces ahead of Q1 earnings focus attention on key metrics beyond headline revenue/EPS (backlog, margin mix, dealer inventories). These previews raise expectations but also amplify volatility around the upcoming report. Ahead of Caterpillar Q1 earnings (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar’s strategic moves — acquisition of Monarch Tractor (automation/electric ag) and a planned CFO transition — point to portfolio diversification and management succession that are positive long term but introduce short‑term integration and execution risk. Monarch deal and CFO shift (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary argues CAT’s rally is being driven by data‑center hype and that the stock trades at a high P/E (and recent articles label it a “data center trap”), raising valuation concerns; such narratives can pressure the stock if investors rotate out of cyclicals into cheaper or purer tech plays. Caterpillar: The 43x P/E Data Center Trap (Seeking Alpha)

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.